Natalie Goldstein

This is a wonderfully written biography of one of America’s first conservationists, John Muir. Rather than start with Muir’s birth and upbringing, Goldstein instead chooses a turning point in Muir’s life, his accident at a woodworking plant. This accident left him blind for a period of time, where he was left to contemplate the direction of his life. By starting here, the author sets a tone. This will not be a dry chronological account of the life of John Muir. It will be a story of a man who is on a quest, a man struggling to find his place in a world where he feels terribly out of place.
From this first chapter, Goldstein returns us to Muir’s birth in Scotland. She paints a picture of a rough childhood under the thumb of his overbearing and demanding father. After moving to America, Muir’s family took up farming, and an entire chapter is written regarding their trials during this period. During this period, Muir spent his few hours of free time each day studying and inventing. It was inspiring to read about how this 18 year old man, who worked everyday from morning till night on the farm, found energy to do the things he loved. He ends up entering his inventions into a contest and receives tremendous accolades.
While working in a factory, Muir has the accident that blinds him, and changes the course of his life. Goldstein does not water down Muir’s view on religion as she describes his unfolding into the love of nature. I imagine this could be offensive to some readers, especially those who believe what they believe without having deeply questioned these beliefs. Muir questioned the widely held belief that only humans have souls. He did not see the earth as something made for human consumption. From this point, Muir’s interest in the natural world takes firm root. He quits his job and walks from his farm in Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. While walking, Muir struggled with how to learn all there was to learn about the forests he was exploring. He chose a method that began with the micro and eventually widened to included a macroscopic view. This reminded me of certain forms of meditation where one is initially focused on a very narrow object, and eventually widens to include the universe. Goldstein makes it clear that Muir is not only learning about the world around him, he is also learning about what it means to be truly human.
It is on this point that I think Goldstein does a wonderful service to the life of John Muir. She pays much attention to his struggle with the writing process and his wish to live full time apart from the ‘civilized’ world. Muir found writing difficult and laborious. He hated living in town, preferring to live in the mountains. He had mentors, however, who were urging him to live in the city part time and share his discoveries with others. Should he do what he loves, and say the hell to world, or should he make some sacrifice of what he wants for the betterment of mankind. He eventually chooses the latter, and thus became one of the great naturalist authors America has ever seen.
The latter part of the book describes the work of John Muir as he tries to balance his need to be in nature with his wish to give to the world and the people around him. He became the first president of the Sierra Club, and his writing still resonates with countless people worldwide.
This book was truly a joy to read. There were numerous sidebars that elaborated on themes that were being explored. For example, when Muir had his accident that blinded him there was a sidebar on the workings of the eye. In the farming section, there is an informative sidebar about healthy farming practices. These sidebars are peppered throughout the book, and are great ways to expand the learning of the reader.
There are many themes that come across in the book. A human beings quest from hardship to fulfillment may be the one that many young people can relate to best. The book could also be a jumping off point for discussions on farming practices in the U.S., the history of the conservation movement, and even discussion on anthropocentric worldviews… (meer)